The Effects of an Inquiry-Based Instructional Method on Earth Science Students' Achievement.

Chang, Chun-Yen; Mao, Song-Ling

This study examined the effects of an inquiry-based instructional method on secondary school students' achievement in earth science. Students (N=232) were treated as two experimental groups, one receiving 2 weeks of the inquiry-based instruction while the control group received the traditional lecture-type instruction. Data were analyzed employing an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) on posttest scores with a pretest as the covariate. The results indicated that students who were taught using the inquiry-based instructional method scored significantly higher than those who were taught with the traditional lecturing approach. In addition, a significant improvement in the achievement test at the comprehensive- and integrated-level test items was accomplished. Contains 31 references. (DDR)